{"id":24717,"date":"2024-04-13T14:19:21","date_gmt":"2024-04-13T19:19:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/?p=24717"},"modified":"2024-04-13T14:19:21","modified_gmt":"2024-04-13T19:19:21","slug":"twerps-and-the-future-of-the-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/?p=24717","title":{"rendered":"Twerps and the Future of the World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the United States, one guy &#8211; <strong>ONE GUY<\/strong> &#8211; has hijacked our foreign policy. By holding up a simple vote for Ukraine, Mike Johnson is causing profound suffering and death in Ukraine, single-handily destabilizing Europe, and causing our allies to wonder where we have lost our way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:54% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"824\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/240410-Mike-Johnson-ch-1312-6d3afe-1024x824.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24718 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/240410-Mike-Johnson-ch-1312-6d3afe-1024x824.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/240410-Mike-Johnson-ch-1312-6d3afe-300x242.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/240410-Mike-Johnson-ch-1312-6d3afe-768x618.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/240410-Mike-Johnson-ch-1312-6d3afe-1536x1236.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/240410-Mike-Johnson-ch-1312-6d3afe-1200x966.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/240410-Mike-Johnson-ch-1312-6d3afe.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">There are many theories why Johnson is doing this (and none of them reflect humanity&#8217;s interests). Our official corporate analysis indicates that as an annoying incel youth, Johnson received wedgies on an almost daily basis, causing a massive inferiority complex and desire to be a BMOC.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1400\" height=\"1713\" data-id=\"24719\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/image.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24719\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/image.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/image-245x300.jpg 245w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/image-837x1024.jpg 837w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/image-768x940.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/image-1255x1536.jpg 1255w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/image-1200x1468.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Little Background: International Support for Ukraine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Charts \/ data from Statista.com; data collated by <strong>WLBOTT<\/strong> research assistant Wanda June Spiritmoon.<br><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"65\" class=\"wp-image-24722\" style=\"width: 450px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/irl_240412_0032.png\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/irl_240412_0032.png 411w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/irl_240412_0032-300x43.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First, let&#8217;s look at the per-capita support for Ukraine, by country (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/1303450\/bilateral-aid-to-ukraine-in-a-percent-of-donor-gdp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">link<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bilateral-aid-to-Ukraine-by-country-GDP-2024-Statista.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"834\" height=\"1615\" data-id=\"24723\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bilateral-aid-to-Ukraine-by-country-GDP-2024-Statista.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24723\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bilateral-aid-to-Ukraine-by-country-GDP-2024-Statista.jpg 834w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bilateral-aid-to-Ukraine-by-country-GDP-2024-Statista-155x300.jpg 155w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bilateral-aid-to-Ukraine-by-country-GDP-2024-Statista-529x1024.jpg 529w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bilateral-aid-to-Ukraine-by-country-GDP-2024-Statista-768x1487.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Bilateral-aid-to-Ukraine-by-country-GDP-2024-Statista-793x1536.jpg 793w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 834px) 100vw, 834px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Military Spending<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/irl_240412_0031.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"747\" height=\"593\" data-id=\"24729\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/irl_240412_0031.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24729\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/irl_240412_0031.jpg 747w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/irl_240412_0031-300x238.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 747px) 100vw, 747px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/irl_240412_0030.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"745\" height=\"591\" data-id=\"24728\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/irl_240412_0030.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24728\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/irl_240412_0030.jpg 745w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/irl_240412_0030-300x238.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 745px) 100vw, 745px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/irl_240412_0033.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"731\" height=\"771\" data-id=\"24727\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/irl_240412_0033.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24727\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/irl_240412_0033.png 731w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/irl_240412_0033-284x300.png 284w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 731px) 100vw, 731px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Let&#8217;s Look at Estonia<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I don&#8217;t think we&#8217;re going out on a limb by saying that <strong>Estonia <\/strong><em>really, really<\/em> hates Russia. And why would that be? Perhaps almost half a century of brutal occupation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Russian-dominated occupation authorities under the Soviet Union began Russification, with hundreds of thousands of ethnic Russians and other &#8220;Soviet people&#8221; being induced to settle in occupied Estonia, in a process which eventually threatened to turn indigenous Estonians into a minority in their own native land. In 1945 Estonians formed 97% of the population, but by 1989 their share of the population had fallen to 62%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By March 1949, 60,000 people were deported from Estonia and 50,000 from Latvia to the gulag system in Siberia, where death rates were 30%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Estonia was quite closed until the second half of the 1960s, when gradually Estonians began to covertly watch Finnish television in the northern parts of the country, thus getting a better picture of the way of life behind the Iron Curtain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since regaining independence in 1991, Estonian foreign policy has been aligned with other Western democracies, and in 2004 <strong>Estonia<\/strong> joined both the <strong>European Union<\/strong> and <strong>NATO<\/strong>.On 9 December 2010, Estonia became a member of OECD. On 1 January 2011, Estonia joined the eurozone and adopted the <strong>euro<\/strong>, the single currency of EU. Estonia was a member of the UN Security Council from 2020 to 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Estonia has pursued the development of the e-government, with <em><strong>99 percent of the public services being available on the web 24 hours a day<\/strong><\/em>. In 2005, Estonia became the first country in the world to introduce <strong>nationwide binding Internet voting<\/strong> in local elections of 2005. In the 2023 parliamentary elections 51% of the total votes were cast over the internet, becoming the first time when more than half of votes were cast online.<\/p>\n<cite><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Estonia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wikipedia<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"370\" height=\"597\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/irl_240412_0034.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24733 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/irl_240412_0034.png 370w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/irl_240412_0034-186x300.png 186w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 370px) 100vw, 370px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Some quick stats. <strong>Estonia <\/strong>sounds like a fascinating country, and <strong>WLBOTT <\/strong>hopes to virtually visit soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Human settlement in Estonia became possible 13,000\u201311,000 years ago, when the ice from the last glacial era melted. The oldest known settlement in Estonia is the Pulli settlement, on the banks of P\u00e4rnu river in southwest Estonia. According to radiocarbon dating, <strong>it was settled around 11,000 years ago<\/strong>.&#8221; &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Estonia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wikipedia<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:auto 67%\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">By NuclearVacuum &#8211; This W3C-unspecified vector image was created with Inkscape ., CC BY-SA 3.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=8105117<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"861\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/EU-Estonia-1024x861.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24734 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/EU-Estonia-1024x861.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/EU-Estonia-300x252.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/EU-Estonia-768x646.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/EU-Estonia-1536x1292.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/EU-Estonia-1200x1009.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/EU-Estonia-1980x1665.jpg 1980w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/EU-Estonia.jpg 2045w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Balti_kett_22.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"688\" data-id=\"24736\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Balti_kett_22.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24736\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Balti_kett_22.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Balti_kett_22-300x202.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Balti_kett_22-768x516.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">In the <em><strong>Baltic Way<\/strong><\/em> on 23 August 1989, <strong>two million people<\/strong> formed a human chain across three countries in a mass demonstration against the Soviet occupation.<br><br>By Jaan K\u00fcnnap &#8211; Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=81077192<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Tarvasjogi.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" data-id=\"24739\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Tarvasjogi.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24739\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Tarvasjogi.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Tarvasjogi-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Tarvasjogi-768x510.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\">The <strong>Tarvasj\u00f5gi <\/strong>flowing through <strong>P\u00f5hja-K\u00f5rvemaa Nature Reserve<\/strong><br>By Ireen Trummer &#8211; Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=18000554<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Unfavorable View of Russia<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Estonia, may we join your club?<br><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"350\" height=\"53\" class=\"wp-image-24742\" style=\"width: 350px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/logo-standard.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/logo-standard.jpg 305w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/logo-standard-300x45.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\" style=\"grid-template-columns:61% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"566\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gap_2023.07.10_russia-nato_2-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24743 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gap_2023.07.10_russia-nato_2-01.jpg 566w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/gap_2023.07.10_russia-nato_2-01-166x300.jpg 166w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 566px) 100vw, 566px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Across 24 countries surveyed, views of Russia are overwhelmingly negative, with a median of 82% saying they have an unfavorable opinion of the country, compared with 15% who say they have a favorable view.<\/p>\n<cite><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/global\/2023\/07\/10\/overall-opinion-of-russia\/gap_2023-07-10_russia-nato_2-01\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pew Research Center<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Semi-Sequitur: Wikipedia and Russian Trolls<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There&#8217;s a Wikipedia <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Anti-Russian_sentiment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">page<\/a> dedicated to &#8220;analyzing&#8221; anti-Russian sentiment. What a troll-fest. &#8220;Why&#8217;s everybody always picking on me?&#8221; &#8220;Not fair! Not fair!&#8221; &#8220;What have done to deserve this?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A more meaningful Wikipedia discussion can be found here: <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Disinformation_in_the_Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Disinformation in the Russian invasion of Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Back to Twerps and Wedgies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes I have to wonder who&#8217;s running this country. Our country is in complete gridlock because of one deranged man. Foreign leaders are forced to meet with, essentially, a non-government official, a rapist, a thief, a foreign agent, a con man, a liar (all rolled into one <em>lardish <\/em>package), to try and convince him of the most obvious foreign policy decision. But tRump is not interested. He wants to burn it all down, thinking this will give him the best position for winning in the fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">David Cameron\u2019s attempt to persuade Donald Trump to permit the US Congress to push through $60bn in military aid for Ukraine appears to have failed, after the British foreign secretary was not even granted a meeting with the congressional speaker, Mike Johnson, who could in theory put the package to a vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He insisted the American aid package worth $60bn was great value for money since for about 5% of the US defence budget, almost half of Russians pre war military equipment has been destroyed without the loss for single American life.<\/p>\n<cite><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/politics\/2024\/apr\/09\/david-cameron-trump-ukraine-aid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Guardian<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let&#8217;s let this sink in. The United States Speaker of the House <strong><em>refused <\/em><\/strong>to meet with the British Foreign Secretary. About a vital defense matter. This little twerp is destroying our relationship with our dearest allies. And for what? Does he want to be tRump&#8217;s VP pick? I just hope Twerp Johnson&#8217;s <em>meet-n-greet<\/em> with St. Peter at the Golden Gates is a pay-per-view event. Should be interesting.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">NATO\u2019s 75th \u2026 a Foreign Ministers\u2019 meeting \u2026 and what needs to happen next <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bvat4wu84C\">pic.twitter.com\/bvat4wu84C<\/a><\/p>&mdash; David Cameron (@David_Cameron) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/David_Cameron\/status\/1775976983203053788?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 4, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the ever classy MTG had this to say to Mr. Cameron:<br><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"550\" height=\"1272\" class=\"wp-image-24748\" style=\"width: 550px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Clipboard_001.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Clipboard_001.jpg 520w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Clipboard_001-130x300.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Clipboard_001-443x1024.jpg 443w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Japanese Prime Minister Addresses Congress<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The full video of Prime Minster Kishida&#8217;s speech to the joint session of congress can be found <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/japanese-prime-minister-fumio-kishida-address-congress-joint-meeting-rcna147339\">here<\/a>. He was visiting to tell the US to step up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Japanese PM <strong>Fumio Kishida<\/strong> addresses U.S. &#8216;self-doubt&#8217; about world role in remarks to Congress<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republicans, especially those in the House, have resisted providing foreign aid to places under threat, including Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.<\/p>\n<cite><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/congress\/japanese-prime-minister-fumio-kishida-address-congress-joint-meeting-rcna147339\">NBC News<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Japanese-leaderThe-Guardian.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"656\" height=\"882\" data-id=\"24750\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Japanese-leaderThe-Guardian.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Japanese-leaderThe-Guardian.jpg 656w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Japanese-leaderThe-Guardian-223x300.jpg 223w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 656px) 100vw, 656px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2024\/apr\/11\/japan-prime-minister-congress-address\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Guardian<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Back to Mr. Mike<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As part of his ongoing desensitization treatment, Speaker Johnson&#8217;s therapist has encouraged him to address his colleagues with his underwear on his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-7 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0013.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"24754\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0013.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24754\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0013.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0013-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0009.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"24759\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0009.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24759\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0009.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0009-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0012.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"24757\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0012.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24757\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0012.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0012-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0010.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"24758\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0010.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24758\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0010.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0010-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0005.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"24760\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0005.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24760\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0005.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0005-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0004.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"24763\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0004.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24763\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0004.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0004-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0003.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"24762\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0003.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24762\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0003.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0003-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0019.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"512\" data-id=\"24767\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0019.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24767\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0019.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0019-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0019-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0018.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"512\" data-id=\"24768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0018.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0018.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0018-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/mike_0018-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Wedgie: A Scholarly Analysis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">A <strong>wedgie <\/strong>is the act of forcibly pulling a person&#8217;s underpants upwards from the back. The act is often performed as a school prank or a form of bullying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Wedgies <\/strong>are commonly featured in popular works, either as a form of low comedy or as a behaviour representative of bullying. In such works, briefs are usually the type of underpants that are worn by the victim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Variations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">As a prank or form of bullying, there are a number of variants to the normal, or traditional wedgie. It is impractical to list every variant, as the names and processes can be rather subjective; however, there are a few better-known variants of the wedgie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-small-font-size\">The <strong>melvin<\/strong> is a variant where the victim&#8217;s underpants are pulled up from the front, to cause injury, or, at least, severe pain to the victim&#8217;s genitals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-small-font-size\">The <strong>atomic wedgie<\/strong> entails hoisting the waistband of the receiver&#8217;s underwear up and over their head. <span class=\"ed-note\">[ed. note: also known as the &#8220;covered wagon&#8221;]<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-small-font-size\">The <strong>hanging wedgie<\/strong> is a variant in which the victim is hung by their underpants, elevated above the ground.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-small-font-size\">The <strong>ripping wedgie<\/strong> involves the tearing of the victim&#8217;s underpants, sometimes ripping off a portion (such as the waistband) of them, or forcibly removing the garment entirely.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<cite><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Wedgie\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wikipedia<\/a><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Introducing Research Assistant Wanda June Spiritmoon<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our newest member of <strong>WLBOTT<\/strong>, Wanda June Spiritmoon is our research assistant. Her hobbies include wiccan pot-lucks, scolding girl scouts, high pressure plumbing, open mic night at the local comedy club, and collecting non-functional (decorative) clarinets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-8 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0005.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"24775\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0005.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24775\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0005.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0005-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0001.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"24773\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0001.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24773\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0001.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0001-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0004.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"24777\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0004.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24777\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0004.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0004-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0002.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" data-id=\"24774\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0002.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24774\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0002.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0002-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0020.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" data-id=\"24772\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0020.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24772\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0020.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0020-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0003.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" data-id=\"24776\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0003.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24776\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0003.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0003-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0006.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" data-id=\"24786\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0006.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24786\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0006.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0006-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0007.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" data-id=\"24780\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0007.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24780\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0007.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0007-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0008.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" data-id=\"24782\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0008.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24782\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0008.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0008-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0009.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" data-id=\"24779\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0009.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24779\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0009.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0009-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0010.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" data-id=\"24787\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0010.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24787\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0010.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0010-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0011.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" data-id=\"24784\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0011.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24784\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0011.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0011-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0012.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" data-id=\"24778\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0012.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24778\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0012.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0012-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0014.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"512\" data-id=\"24783\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0014.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24783\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0014.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0014-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0014-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0015.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"512\" data-id=\"24785\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0015.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24785\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0015.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0015-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0015-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0018.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"512\" data-id=\"24789\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0018.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24789\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0018.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0018-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0018-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0019.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"512\" data-id=\"24791\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0019.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24791\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0019.jpg 512w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0019-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/wanda_0019-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reference: HCR&#8217;s Reflection on Prime Minster Kishida&#8217;s Visit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In yesterday&#8217;s column, <strong>Heather Cox Richardson<\/strong> reflects on <strong>Prime Minster Kishida<\/strong>&#8216;s visit, and the near-despair other countries are experiencing due to America&#8217;s in-fighting and pettiness. We&#8217;ve archived HRC&#8217;s post below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"767\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Heather_Cox_Richardson_2016_mr.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24752 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Heather_Cox_Richardson_2016_mr.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Heather_Cox_Richardson_2016_mr-300x256.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Heather_Cox_Richardson_2016_mr-768x655.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Heather Cox Richardson<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Heather_Cox_Richardson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wikipedia<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addressed a joint meeting of Congress today, he tried to remind lawmakers of who Americans are. \u201cThe U.S. shaped the international order in the postwar world through economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power,\u201d he reminded them. \u201cIt championed freedom and democracy. It encouraged the stability and prosperity of nations, including Japan. And, when necessary, it made noble sacrifices to fulfill its commitment to a better world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He explained the bigger picture. \u201cThe United States policy was based on the premise that humanity does not want to live oppressed by an authoritarian state, where you are tracked and surveilled and denied from expressing what is in your heart and on your mind,\u201d he said. \u201cYou believed that freedom is the oxygen of humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Keenly aware that MAGA Republicans have rejected the nation\u2019s role in protecting freedom and democracy and are standing between Ukraine and U.S. aid, Kishida said: \u201cThe world needs the United States to continue playing this pivotal role in the affairs of nations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFreedom and democracy are currently under threat around the globe,\u201d he said. \u201cClimate change has caused natural disasters, poverty, and displacement on a global scale. In the COVID-19 pandemic, all humanity suffered. Rapid advances in AI technology have resulted in a battle over the soul of AI that is raging between its promise and its perils. The balance of economic power is shifting. The Global South plays a greater role in responding to challenges and opportunities and calls for a larger voice\u2026. China&#8217;s current external stance and military actions present an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge, not only to the peace and security of Japan but to the peace and stability of the international community at large.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the midst of all this dramatic change, Kishida said, \u201cthe leadership of the United States is indispensable. Without U.S. support, how long before the hopes of Ukraine would collapse under the onslaught from Moscow?\u201d he asked. \u201cWithout the presence of the United States, how long before the Indo-Pacific would face even harsher realities?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He noted that Japan has pledged $12 billion to Ukraine and \u201cwill continue to stand with\u201d the vulnerable country. In this fraught hour, he said, \u201c[t]he democratic nations of the world must have all hands on deck. I am here to say that Japan is already standing shoulder to shoulder with the United States. You are not alone. We are with you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Kishida gently warned lawmakers that the United States is abdicating its role in world affairs by its apparent abandonment of Ukraine, Russian forces last night destroyed the largest power plant in the Kyiv region. U.S. ambassador to Ukraine Bridget A. Brink reported that \u201cRussia last night launched more than 40 drones and 40 missiles into Ukraine\u2026. The situation in Ukraine is dire; there is not a moment to lose,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">House speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) surely knows the situation in Ukraine is dire; he has held up U.S. aid for six months. The Senate passed a national security supplemental bill that would provide aid to Ukraine back in February, but while Johnson has said he would bring the supplemental bill to the House floor, where it will certainly pass, somehow it has never been the right time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">American refusal to support Ukraine is causing global concern. When British foreign secretary David Cameron came to the U.S. this week, he not only met with lawmakers and State Department officials, but also traveled to Florida to meet with former president Trump at Mar-a-Lago in hopes of persuading him to support additional U.S. military aid to Ukraine. That Johnson refused to meet with Cameron when he returned to Washington, D.C., the next day suggests that Cameron\u2019s effort achieved little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johnson is facing pressure from extremists in his conference like Georgia representative Marjorie Taylor Greene who oppose aid to Ukraine and who are threatening to challenge his speakership if he brings the bill to the floor of the House. Those extremists fired another shot across his bow today when they blocked a law to extend a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act after Trump urged them to kill it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the measure failed, security expert and former Trump administration official Miles Taylor wrote: \u201cThe House\u2019s failure to renew FISA is *BAD.* If these powers lapse, it would be like blind-folding U.S. spies and tying their hands behind their backs as they try to protect Americans from China, Russia, terror groups &amp; beyond. Get it together, Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To enable Johnson to ignore the extremists if it means getting aid to Ukraine, Democrats have thrown Johnson a lifeline, if only he will use it. House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) suggested today that Democrats would vote against a challenge to Johnson\u2019s speakership, keeping him in place. Jeffries said: &#8220;If the speaker were to do the right thing and allow the House to work its will with an up or down vote on the national security bill, then I believe there are a reasonable number of Democrats [who] would not want to see the speaker fall as a result of doing the right thing.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But instead of actually doing the people\u2019s business and passing a measure the White House, Pentagon, and a majority of Congress think is vital to our national security, MAGA Republicans appear to be consumed by the effort to get Trump back into the presidency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today the House Rules Committee got a new chair as Michael Burgess (R-TX) took the reins from Tom Cole (R-OK). Burgess will oversee his first hearing on Monday as the committee meets to examine six bills that appear to be designed to feed the Republicans\u2019 culture wars by denying the secretary of energy\u2019s power to establish new energy conservation standards. Those bills are the \u201cHands Off Our Home Appliances Act,\u201d the \u201cLiberty in Laundry Act,\u201d the \u201cClothes Dryers Reliability Act,\u201d the \u201cRefrigerator Freedom Act,\u201d the \u201cAffordable Air Conditioning Act,\u201d and the \u201cStop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Johnson is also in on the act. He is scheduled to visit Mar-a-Lago tomorrow to promote a bill to prevent noncitizens from voting. This is purely political theater: it is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. Trump seems eager to push the idea of \u201celection integrity\u201d to bolster his lie that the 2020 election was stolen and the 2024 election will be too, evidently trying to chum up distrust of American elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under its new co-chairs, Trump\u2019s daughter-in-law Lara Trump and Trump loyalist Michael Whatley, the Republican National Committee last week sent out a robocall to voters\u2019 phones saying that Democrats committed \u201cmassive fraud\u201d in the 2020 presidential election and that \u201cIf Democrats have their way, your vote could be canceled out by someone who isn\u2019t even an American citizen.\u201d This is a straight-up lie, of course\u2014Trump and his loyalists have never produced any evidence for their accusations and lost more than 60 court cases over it\u2014but Trump clearly intends to make it a centerpiece of his campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Republicans are pushing the Big Lie, in The Bulwark today, conservative commentator Mona Charen noted that Ukraine president Volodomyr Zelensky this week warned the U.S. that Ukraine will lose the war against Russia\u2019s aggression if it does not get U.S. aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPutin seems to have pulled off the most successful foreign influence operation in American history,\u201d Charen wrote. \u201cIf Trump were being blackmailed by Putin it\u2019s hard to imagine how he would behave any differently. And though it started with Trump, it has not ended there. Putin now wields more power over the [Republicans] than anyone other than Trump\u2026. [T]hey mouth Russian disinformation without shame. Putin,\u201d she said, \u201cmust be pinching himself.\u201d<\/p>\n<cite><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/heathercoxrichardson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Facebook<\/a>  April 11, 2024 (Thursday)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the United States, one guy &#8211; ONE GUY &#8211; has hijacked our foreign policy. By holding up a simple vote for Ukraine, Mike Johnson is causing profound suffering and death in Ukraine, single-handily destabilizing Europe, and causing our allies to wonder where we have lost our way. There are many theories why Johnson is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[43,69,55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-heros-not","category-russia","category-ukraine"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24717"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24717\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24793,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24717\/revisions\/24793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wlbott.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}